Door lock assemblies for use on doors having a hinged edge and an opposite, swingable free edges have been known for some time. The need for security and improved sealing qualities led to the development of door lock sets having more than one independently operated latches, and these have also become well known. While the independently operated latches represent an improvement, they also exhibit some disadvantages. For example, persons in a hurry may not notice all the latches. Even if they do, they might not want to take the extra time required to set them all. Worn or damaged latches might suffer the same fate when persons feel they do not have time to make them work or to repair them. Whatever the reasons, the security and/or integrity sought will be, to some extent, compromised.
Addressing these problems are door lock assemblies having more than one latch, each latch being retractable by manually operating a centrally located mechanism. These lock assemblies have become relatively common as well, but common problems attend them in that they can be difficult to assemble and install in a cost-effective manner. A remaining problem is the fact that, while many persons want door lock assemblies that match period or otherwise unique building or room designs, assemblies having thumb-operated multilatch door locks are reportedly not available for this application.
While the prior techniques function with a certain degree of efficiency, none discloses the advantage of the improved thumb-operated multilatch door lock of the present invention as is hereinafter more fully described.